The Consequences of Telling the Truth
by Reluctant Dragon
Summary: April gives Leo an offer that he can't refuse. Oneshot.


**THE CONSEQUENCES OF TELLING THE TRUTH  
**

**

* * *

Okay, this time I REALLY got everything. **

**Huge thanks to Sassy for betaing, you helped me so much!**

**And on with the story!**

**

* * *

**

He heard her approaching before she even came in the room.

"Hey April." She often traveled to the Lair when she had some time on her hands, just to hang out and relax in relative quiet. "What's up?"

She sighed as she plopped down on the couch next to him. "Sometimes I think having my own business will kill me."

Leo chuckled. "Being 'the Boss' a bit different then what you thought?"

She kicked off her shoes as she replied. "No, that's the easy part. The hard part is everything else."

Leo chuckled again, and the lair fell silent except for the television and the muted clicking of Don's keyboard.

"Gee, it's quieter then usual down here." April mused.

Leo looked around. "Yeah, I guess it is. It always gets kinda quiet around this time of day… Raph and Mikey are off doing who knows what, and Don's sulking because I 'wrecked' an experiment of his this morning."

"Oh."

Silence fell over the Lair again. Several minutes later, during a commercial break, April suddenly broke the silence.

"If I asked you a question, would you promise to tell me the truth?"

He frowned. "Of course I would."

She looked down at her fidgeting fingers. "Even if it sounded silly?"

Leo smiled. "You forget, I live with Mike. It can't be that bad. Ask away."

"Well, see, it goes like this." She paused and took a deep breath. "I asked Don first, and he said 'No, ask Mikey.' I asked Mikey, and he said, 'No, ask Raph.' So I went to ask Raph, and he _laughed_ and said, 'No, ask Leo.'" She sighed. "So I'm here, asking _you._"

Leo looked at her solemnly. "So ask. You know I won't laugh."

She looked up at him again. "I want to learn Ninjitsu. Can you teach me?"

Leo, who had just taken a large swig of water, spewed the contents of his mouth over their coffee table, coughing violently. April frowned. "Are you okay?"

He nodded, regained his breath, and stared at her. "You? Ninjitsu? You _doing_ Ninjitsu!"

She scowled. "What is so hard to believe about me wanting to learn to protect myself?"

"There's nothing wrong with that… it's just… that… Um… I'm not exactly comfortable with the whole, uh, me teaching _you_ thing."

"Why?" She had turned to completely face him now, and the television was forgotten.

"Well, no offense April, but you're not exactly the most teachable person in the world."

"What do you mean?" Leo winced. Raph was going to be in a world of pain for passing the buck … if he survived April, that is.

"Um... well… it's not that you can't take directions, it's just that… you can't take directions."

"What!" She jumped up, crossed her arms over her chest, and _glared_ at him. "I can CERTAINLY take directions! I - I - I can be a direction-taking _fiend _if I wanted to be!"

Leo swallowed nervously. _Remember, you're a ninja. You can take her. _"That's the thing- you don't really want to be a, um, 'direction-taking-fiend.' You're a leader, not a follower."

April started pacing. "Well how could you know how I take directions if you never gave me the chance to take them in the first place, huh? Ever think about that?" She started waving her arms for emphasis while Leo cowered on the couch. _You can take her, you can take her… you can make it to the door if you go quickly enough…_

"Hey Leo, tell her about how you think she doesn't take criticism well either!" Leo whipped his head around to Don's doorway, where he could just make out his brother's outline against the glow of his computer.

"NOT a good time Bro!" He called frantically.

April turned on him again, fire in her eyes. "OH, so now you think that I can't take criticism either!"

Leo started panicking. "I never said that! Don's framing me, I swear!"

His eyes widened as she picked up the hardest pillow in the Lair and stalked toward him. "Now April, we can't be too hasty about these things you know, don't want to be too rash, just put the pillow down and I'm sure that we can talk this out like two rational people… ACK!" He covered his head with his arms and retreated into his shell as far as he could as she attacked.

April savagely beat him with the pillow, punctuating each hit with a word. "Like… I… can't... take… directions… I… SO… can … take… directions… Very… well… in… fact…Take… THAT!"

Leo started seeing stars. "Alright, alright, I GIVE! Stop with the abuse already!"

April stopped for just a moment. Leo bent over, gasping for breath. "Fine… I'll give you the lessons… Just put the pillow down!"

"Apologize!"

Leo looked up, incredulously. "Apologize for what?"

"For saying that I can't take directions!"

"But you can't!" April threateningly raised the pillow again. "I mean, of course, that was a horrible and stupid thing to say, I'm very sorry. It will never happen again, I promise."

April grinned, all anger melting away. "Aww, Leo, that's so sweet!" She tossed the pillow away, swooped down to kiss him on the cheek and flounced toward the exit. "I'll be here as soon as work ends tomorrow, ready to learn! See ya' then!"

Leo looked dumbly after her. What had just happened?

He got up, still stunned, and numbly walked into the kitchen to get another glass of water. And an aspirin.

Of course, there he found Mike and Raph, leaning on each other with tears of laughter streaming down their cheeks. Mike, upon seeing his battered brother in the kitchen composed himself.

Wiping tears from his eyes, he spoke. "Ya' sure showed her who's boss, Bro." With that he walked from the room, only barely managing to keep his guffaws down. Raphael was far less successful in controlling his laughter, and had resorted to banging his fist on the table while letting out huge belly laughs that shook his whole frame.

Leo shook his head and started to refill his glass with water. Then Don walked calmly in. He fixed Leo with a hard stare. "I did warn you that interrupting my experiment would have consequences."

Raph managed to sputter out, "Well, next time… ya' can just hit him wit' that pillow ta' make him agree wit' ya'!" This statement caused Don to lose his composure, and he joined Raph in laughing.

Y_es, an aspirin would be very good_. Leo paused, looking at his giggling brothers. _Maybe two_.


End file.
